God, save the boys
If the term "unimpressive" was a football team, it would be England. And the phrase "deserving of the crown" would be synonymous to the current Spanish team. These two teams, with very different journeys, are now in the Euro Cup final.
This year's Euros felt mundane and dragged at times. Mediocre at best, prosaic at worst—there have not been many groundbreaking stories to cover. But if there was one team that has been thoroughly entertaining, it would be Spain. Young, fierce, well-structured and coordinated, the Spanish team has been the best of the tournament by a mile.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In stark contrast to Spain, there is England; watching who felt like a chore. There is no cohesion between the players; they have conceded a couple of goals and have clung onto the tournament by a bare thread. There are no risks being taken, and thus, very few rewards to reap. Despite having an attacking threat at their disposal, they have fired too many blanks. Given all of this, prior to the semifinals, the mood in the country had been quite bleak. However, since they booked their place in the final and became the first English team to make it into the last match of a tournament on foreign soil, the mood has somewhat elevated with hopes.
The problem with criticising England is that there is a major off-the-field force to consider when reflecting upon the national team: the media. As notorious as English fans' reputation has been around the world, the media is much worse. It is no secret that even to this day, racism pollutes football, and it comes to the forefront when the English boys fail. We saw it in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final against Italy, when Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho felt the burden of the entire nation for missing their penalties in the final. We saw it again when England lost by a goal to Iceland just before this year's Euros, and Saka, who played just a mere 15 minutes of the game, was plastered all over the front page. Racism exists and the mainstream media is as much at fault as the keyboard warriors who run to make racist comments under players' social media posts. Thus, with England, there is a degree of precarious liability that needs to be kept in mind.
My rational football brain desires to see the more deserving team to win—the team that will deliver the best football in the finals. However, the fragile part of my heart is weary of seeing young English players thrown to the wolves when the scoreline does not favour them.
The criticism of the style of play this year has been justified to a degree, and Gareth Southgate has expressed how it affects the morale of the team when their performance is continuously criticised. Yet, amidst all the critics and negativity, they have still made it to the final. Optimist and English enthusiasts will tell you that this is tournament football; it is not about beauty but rather the end product, and that is fair. But this is where England has always lacked—getting down and dirty to walk away with a victory, even amongst the ugly. This new generation of players understands that. They also understand that there is life beyond the field.
While the young English players carry the weight of the nation's expectations on their shoulders, they feel much more at ease with carrying that burden than their predecessors. You can see it in the arrogance of Jude Bellingham; he knows who he is and he is very confident in his ability. Kobbie Mainoo, despite being just 19 years old, has comfortably slotted into the starting line-up. And as for Bukayo Saka, it has been the most wonderful journey of navigating the adversity to rise above the noise. When England faced Switzerland in the Quarterfinal's penalties, each player stepped up with confidence that has so often escaped the English team.
Even with all the songs, such as "it's coming home," "Southgate you are the one," being blurted out, England still feels undeserving of lifting the trophy tonight, especially when you compare Spain's prevailing run to the final. But football is not about who deserves it more but rather who wants it more, and England is hungry. Whether that hunger can translate on the pitch is a different question, but perhaps the only question that matters. Declan Rice eloquently put it that witnessing the England Women's Euros victory is a source of inspiration to them. Now, whether the English male team can replicate their female counterparts, comes down to the next ninety minutes they step onto the field.
Raiyan Binte Rafiq is a sports columnist for The Daily Star. She is currently pursuing an LLM, while freelancing for INDIVISA. She also oversees recruitment at Next Level Sports Management based in Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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